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Law360 Names John Rizio-Hamilton a 2014 Rising Star

April 14, 2014

BLB&G partner John Rizio-Hamilton has been selected by Law360 as one of its national “Rising Stars” -- attorneys under 40 “whose legal accomplishments belie their age.”

Handpicked by Law360 editors reviewing the work of nearly 1,000 attorneys from 28 different practice areas across the legal spectrum, Mr. Rizio-Hamilton was one of only six other attorneys recognized for their accomplishments in the area of class action litigation.

Mr. Rizio-Hamilton, one of the youngest litigators to be named partner by BLB&G, was recognized for his role in successfully prosecuting high-profile cases arising from the subprime crisis, and recovering billions of dollars for harmed investors from major Wall Street banks, including: $2.425 billion from Bank of America, $730 million from Citigroup, and $627 million from Wachovia. He credits BLB&G’s “merit-driven approach” as a major factor in contributing to his fast-rising career, which according to him, “gives people as much responsibility as they show they can handle.” This is due in part to the “firm’s smaller size and business model, which allowed Rizio-Hamilton to be put on high-profile, important cases from the very start of his career,” notes Law360.

During a clerkship with Judge Chester J. Straub of the Second Circuit, Mr. Rizio-Hamilton realized he wanted to do plaintiffs’ work and, in particular, class actions -- just as the economy started showing signs of cracking. “I think even in those early days we could see that a lot of that was caused by securities fraud, especially mortgage-related securities fraud, and I really wanted to be on the cutting edge of prosecuting cases…I thought being a class action lawyer was the best way for me to do that.”

Currently, he is a leading member of the team prosecuting In re Facebook Securities Litigation, along with a number of other major pending actions.